First of all I must apologize for not getting any news reports in for the past few weeks. I have had a few health problems and was committed to the Battlefords Union Hospital for a few days.
The Western Development Museum in North Battleford celebrated their 50th anniversary with their yearly feature Those Were The Days on Aug. 17 and 18.
It all started out at 9 a.m. each day. The day began with Chief Engineer Restoration Manager Tim Pomeroy and Those Were the Days organizer Cheryl Ram Stuart giving a special session for all the volunteers on 鈥渟afety first,鈥� urging them to be careful during the two days鈥� activities.
In recent years, there have been many more new rules and regulatons for everyone to follow. A big thank you to all the volunteers who did turn out as it made the two days a real trip back in time for most of them and a real eye-opener for the younger generation. They totalled a little over 50 activities taking place in the main museum, through the village grounds, farmyard and field.
The two days ended at 4:30 p.m. with a parade of power. They had three steamer tractors going, antique gas tractors and antique machinery being pulled, plus houses and car club entries. (The calliope was missing due to a boiler problem that needs to be fixed before it can be safely used.) The antique steamers whistled shrilly, puffing steam and antique car horns honked. The bleachers were full, as well as the village streets. The attendance was up this year. Funnel cakes were a great item to eat for many people.
In change from the past, the pancake and bacon breakfast was not held. Many people did miss that. Nor did they deliver lunch and drinks to the hard-working volunteers on the grounds. There was lunch available at the main building, but they had to leave their stations for it.
There was a garage sale in the main building as well as local music. Most of the village buildings had someone to guide visitors through and to answer questions.
Plans are in the making for next year, but it鈥檚 getting harder and harder to keep up in years as interest drops off, volunteers are getting older and some are already passed on. Strict rules and regulations are also being applied more and more each year.
The museum will soon be closing for the winter months. There is one more threshing event to come later this month to really wind things down. It will be open for all the school students to attend.
Visiting with Stanley and Dorothy Mills was Stanley鈥檚 sister Yvonne Akerman of Salt Springs Island, B.C. Also visiting was Stanley and Dorothy鈥檚 only daughter, Elaine Theriault of Mississauga, Ont. and her daughter and our only granddaughter Madeline Pishori of Burnaby, B.C. While Yvonne was here, she made a trip with Walter and Olive Mill to visit cousins Edna and Gordon Williams.
Elaine Theriault attended a three-day quilting demonstration and instruction in Saskatoon and Rosetown.
They also went geocaching as there are quite a few sites with hidden treasures in the Battlefords and Saskatoon areas. With there being a number of August birthdays close together, a family gathering took place. Sam and Margaret Parrish of Willow Moore were also visiting.
All the school students are back to classes, putting a great number of school buses on the roads, streets and highway. It鈥檚 so hard to believe another fall season is here so soon. Some trees are shedding their leaves and harvest is about to start.
